


Finding Humanity

by PatchworkIdeas



Series: A Genie's Tale [3]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: A Story Written in One-Shots with no Planned Ending, Fluff, Gen, Genie!Fili, Light Angst, M/M, Smart and Capable Kili
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23946928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatchworkIdeas/pseuds/PatchworkIdeas
Summary: Fili has been a genie for so long, it’s hard to remember how to be human.Luckily, he doesn’t have to figure it out on his own.Chapter 1: Prequel
Relationships: Fíli/Kíli (Tolkien)
Series: A Genie's Tale [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1631386
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	Finding Humanity

Kili was in his uncles quarters, where he definitely wasn’t supposed to be, when his life changed.

He didn’t know it back then, was just hiding for a moment of quiet, a moment without angry stares and disappointed lectures and the organized chaos that was court life.  
They were doubtlessly searching all over for him, but so far nobody had thought to look in the kings own quarters.

They thought he wouldn’t dare. There wasn’t a lot he wouldn’t dare to get _away_ for even a moment.

He settled himself in the plush office seat, almost a throne itself, head resting on the always meticulously organized desk, cushioned by his arms. It was nice to just doze for once, a luxury he was never allowed while anyone watched. His time was supposedly too important for such frivolities.

The pain was unexpected; sharp and cruel. He shot up, clutching his head and the surly forming bump, just barely able to keep his pained hiss quiet.

There was no shelf above the desk.  
And there had been no oil lamp on his uncle’s desk before.  
Or anywhere in his quarters for that matter.

He eyed the strange thing warily for a moment, suspicious of suddenly appearing objects who attempt to bludgeon him to death, before his curiosity got the better of him.

The lamp was strangely warm, almost hot under his fingers, though it cooled rapidly while he looked it over. It looked like gold, but it didn’t feel like it, a strange tingling in his hands, as if the material was shifting, changing despite it being perfectly still as he looked it over.  
It took him a moment to notice the tiny engravings in the not-metal, finer than anything he had ever seen before. He tried to make out the words, or failing that, at least the language, but they seemed to shift and slide almost, while never changing at all. Frustrated he brushed his thumb over part of the engraving, with childish hope it would make the letters stay still.

It didn’t.

Instead, the lamp exploded outwards and the material rushed out of his hands like swirling sand, golden and shimmering, engulfing him for a moment before settling in the free space behind him.

What had been a lamp slowly formed into the most stunning being that Kili had ever laid eyes on. There was not a single imperfection on his body, the countless jewels and golden bands only accentuating his natural beauty.  
And well endowed shape.

Kili could tell, as he was also almost naked, nothing but the golden jewelry and strange see-through trousers covering him.  
Resolutely pulling his eyes upward, Kili found that his face was no less mesmerizing.  
The icy blue eyes seemed to glow, pulling him in; the golden hair moving as if in an invisible breeze, shifting and changing just enough that Kili wondered what they would feel like under his hands, silky softness or warm sand wrapping around his fingers.  
And his voice, from those plumb lips, the sweetest sound Kili had ever heard.

“I am Fili, Genie of the Lamp, and your wishes are my command. How may I serve you?”

The words sent a shiver down Kili’s spine, but one quite different this time. They might sound lovely, but the tone was clipped, unhappy, and the eyes were burning into him, as if they wished to turn him to cinder, rather than serve him.  
He saw the goosebumps on the perfect skin, his own warm furs suddenly heavy on his shoulders. 

It would be hours yet until the fires were lit in preparation for the kings return.

Fili must be freezing.

Kili jumped out of the chair before the thought had fully formed, already shrugging out of his heavy outer-coat and draping it over the genie, hoping to provide some warmth.  
He felt Fili stiffen under his touch, breath stilling and eyes straight ahead, aborting the attempt to keep Kili in sight. Kili removed his hands, leaving the coat, suddenly aware that while well-meant, his kindness might not be welcome. His uncle certainly admonished him for it often enough. And perhaps this genie had been meant for his uncle, appearing on the desk like he had.  
Kili opened his mouth, unsure of what words would tumble out, but the heavy steps in front of the door stole his breath instead.

Fili disappeared, the coat falling to the floor in a heap.

With Kili standing in the middle of the room, there was nowhere to hide, and he hunched over, reading himself for another lecture, for screams and punishment.  
But it was only Vinuri, one of the royal guards, the one blessed with 3 children who always had a warm smile or a story at the ready.  
Vinuri inspected him for a moment, before sighing heavily, closing his eyes and whispering “I didn’t see you here, but you have to get out. Now.”

Kili gathered his coat up hastily, careful to keep the lamp hidden within. His uncle obviously didn’t know about it, but even Vinuri wouldn’t be able to keep both eyes shut if he thought Kili was stealing something.  
Kili stepped out of the door, coat bundled in his arms and rushed into the servant paths the moment Vinuri looked away. Everyone knew Kili wasn’t supposed to use them, but they also knew that Kili was kind, in a way his uncle and king wasn’t, and so nobody ever saw him. Especially not when he carried stuff around like he was making a delivery.

(Kili had so many things really, more than he could ever need or want, how could he sit by when he heard hushed whispers between servants, of sick children or hands frozen through or ends that just wouldn’t meet.)

He rushed out of the hidden paths behind the main passages, and just made it into his room when he heard the shouts.

Shit. Not fast enough.

Dumping the coat inside the wardrobe and pulling out another, he was promptly pulled out of the safety of his room and into another day of princely responsibilities under his uncles disapproving eyes.

-

It was late when he finally returned to his room. The dinner on his table had long gone cold, his uncle demanding he make up for his laziness by staying longer, and Kili felt raw and unhappy, like he wanted nothing more than to have the day end already - if he didn’t know it would start all over again tomorrow.  
Princes didn’t need breaks.  
...Neither did their workers, admittedly, according to his uncle.  
Kili had his doubts, but it wasn't like anyone cared to listen to them.

At least his quarters were warm, the fire’s coal giving off an inviting glow, illuminating and heating his chambers just the right way.  
He only remembered the genie when he saw the discarded coat while putting away his heavy outer cloak. The day had been so stressful, one thing after the other, that the otherworldly encounter had been pushed aside, out of his mind, to make room for more mundane matters.

It felt strange to think about it now. Maybe he was more exhausted than he had thought, for surely something as extraordinary as that couldn’t have actually happened?

But there it was, still pulsing in his hands when he pulled it out of the coat. The spectacle of the lamp flowing into golden sand forming into Fili’s gorgeous form was just as breathtaking, if much faster this time.

Fili looked at him, warily, eyes never leaving his. His clothes were still horribly inappropriate and Kili wondered if, even with the heat of the fire, the genie might feel uncomfortable in them.  
He certainly didn’t look very happy.

Kili stepped to the side, with a sweeping motion to his wardrobe and asked: “Are you cold? You can have some of my clothes if you want. They might be a tad big, but they are warm and comfortable.”

The genie looked at him for a long time, eyes inscrutable, spine ramrod straight. “If that’s your wish.”

Kili had dealt with double speak and political prancing all his life - and he was too tired to deal with it now, in the only space that was actually his.

“No, it’s not what I wish, it’s what I offer. Take it or leave it. I just thought you might be uncomfortable in those...clothes.” Kili didn’t think they deserved the label, really, but what did he know. He was tired and cranky and maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all.

But Fili’s honest look of confusion, almost fear bleeding through, made it impossible for Kili to remain angry. Thinking of their servants, so afraid of being seen, Kili turned his back and made his way to the table, to see what food the maids had brought him while he was away, leaving the wardrobe open behind him.

Potatoes, steak, and lentils. All cold. It was better than nothing, and it might just be enough for two, Kili thought with a smile as he heard the rustling behind him. He divided out two even portions on the plate and was wondering what to do about the lack of second utensils when Fili coughed behind him, wordlessly asking for his attention.

Fili was properly clothed now, perhaps even excessively, only his face and the tips of his fingers peaking out of the slightly too big garments.

It didn’t make him any less stunning.

“What do you desire? I exist to grant your wishes.” Fili asked him again, this time less certain, more question than the statement it was obviously meant to be.

Kili considered him for a moment. 

“Come sit and eat with me, maybe you can tell me how this all works over dinner?”

Did genie’s eat? Kili hadn’t really considered it before, but Fili made his way into the other chair nonetheless, producing a fork seemingly out of thin air.  
He only ate when Kili did. He didn’t explain until Kili asked, and his voice was neutral and without inflection when he did.

Kili had three wishes that the genie would grant. No limitations.  
The genie would stay with him until these wishes where granted or someone else rubbed the lamp. He would not leave before then, regardless of how long Kili took to decide on his wishes.  
Fili didn’t need to breath, to eat or do anything else a mortal needed and would stay as a lamp unless Kili summoned him.

“Do you want to stay as a lamp? Is it easier for you?” Kili wondered, trying to keep in mind that just because the other looked like him, he still wasn’t. And, upon remembering how rote Fili had followed Kili bite for bite, seemingly without any thought or feeling, he added: “Does eating with me and being out here make you uncomfortable or anything?”

The question obviously threw the genie, and Kili did a little internal dance about seeing some emotion on that handsome face, rather than just lifelessly repeating rules and answering questions he had probably dealt with a thousand times before.

This answer took longer, and didn’t explain anything at all.

“Your wish is my command.” Fili only repeated again, as if that was all he could do.

Kili thought for a moment, looking for the right words. Talking to Fili felt a bit like a puzzle, but one he was getting more and more interested in.

“What is the meaning behind that phrase?” Kili eventually settled on, trying to be as clear as possible, wondering if he could find a way for the other to speak his mind. The servants had initially tried to evade him in almost the same way, ordered not to talk to him, but he didn’t want to be some all powerful figure up on a throne, untouchable. How could he do the right thing, if nobody told him what they wanted?

But Fili just took a deep breath, shoulders curling inward, knuckles white and holding onto the fork like a lifeline - or a desperate weapon.

“It means I will do whatever you desire.”

The atmosphere turned heavy, gulfs between them, and Kili thought of see-through clothes and servant girls who held themselves just like that, hurt and broken and lost, just before they disappeared, never to be seen again.  
Kili doubted they returned to their old life.  
He doubted anyone ever asked them what they wanted.  
Servants were servants; existing for the pleasure and needs of their masters.

Fuck that.

“I desire to know if you want to tell me your thoughts and opinions, to have a voice of your own again.”

The blue eyes focused on him, blown wide, and the “Yes” tumbled out without hesitation or thought. A chain puzzle, unlocked with words.  
Well then.

“I desire for you to tell me your own opinions and thoughts for anything you want to share them on. I desire for you to tell me if I do or ask for something that makes you uncomfortable or unhappy. Does that work for you?”

And Fili hesitated, tilting his head as if he could taste the words on his tongue and was enjoying their taste before he released them.

“I dislike the lamp, but I like the food. Why are you doing this?”

The genie seemed surprised at his own question, almost reverent that he could ask it, and Kili couldn’t stop the smile spreading on his face if he wanted to.

“I dislike seeing people unhappy and hurting, especially when I can do something about it. And I don’t plan on squandering these wishes, so we might be around each other for a while yet. Might as well make sure we both get along. I’m Kili, by the way.”

They ended up talking the whole night through, and many more to follow, Kili carefully choosing each word and Fili learning to speak his. Wary looks making way for hesitant smiles that would eventually turn into careful hugs on hard days, warm support between them both where only cold chains used to be.  
Kili hoarded his wishes, both to choose the right ones and to keep Fili with him, happy, just a bit longer.  
And if his third wish was the one he settled on first, then who could blame him? It was, and always would be, his favorite of them all.


End file.
